Local partners
A celebration for ITER's "vital artery"
30 Jun 2020
ITER is made possible through the work of thousands of scientists, engineers, workers of all trades and industries across the globe. It is also made possible by the commitment, present and past, of the local French authorities and elected representatives.
The arrival of poloidal field coil #6 (PF6) on Friday 26 June offered a symbolic opportunity to express ITER's gratitude to the local "partners" of the project.
The creation and maintenance of the ITER Itinerary, along which components are delivered to the ITER construction site, is one of the major illustrations of their unwavering commitment.
The ITER Itinerary was created to compensate for the geographical situation of the ITER site in Saint-Paul-lez-Durance/Cadarache, which is located approximately one hundred kilometres from the Marseille-Fos harbour where components for the ITER machine and plant systems are unloaded.
The arrival of poloidal field coil #6 (PF6) on Friday 26 June—a particularly large and massive load—offered a symbolic opportunity to express ITER's gratitude to the local "partners" of the project.
"The exceptional event that brings us together today owes a lot to your personal actions and those of your predecessors," said ITER Director-General Bernard Bigot as he addressed the President of the Regional Council Renaud Muselier, government authorities, and the local mayors assembled in the building where the PF6 coil was temporarily stored.
President of the Sud-PACA region and France's former Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Renaud Muselier (left) toured the Tokamak Building with ITER Director-General Bernard Bigot (right). He expressed his pride in hosting ITER in Provence: ITER "is a jewel," he said, "a world-class asset with few equivalents on this planet."
"The ITER Itinerary is the vital artery that connects the ITER site to the factories, workshops and laboratories on three continents where machine components and plant systems are being manufactured. It is the project's lifeline."
In his response to the ITER Director-General, the president of the Sud-PACA region and France's former Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Renaud Muselier, expressed his pride in hosting ITER in Provence: "ITER represents the future of energy. It is a jewel, a world-class asset with few equivalents on this planet."
Dwarfed by the massive presence of PF6, Jean-Marc Filhol, the Head of the ITER Department at Fusion for Energy, and François Genevey, the director of the ITER Project at global logistics provider DAHER, took turns at the lectern, narrating the challenges of the component's fabrication and transport.
"What history will retain," concluded Bernard Bigot, "is that the formidable venture of harnessing fusion, a venture founded on a unique international collaboration, took a decisive step here in Provence. And that you all had a part in it."
Click here to view a slideshow about the ITER Itinerary.